An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 284

284. #51 – Consideration for Whom (2)

“Thanks for the ride, hyung [older brother or close male friend],” I said, confirming the car had stopped in front of my house.

Team Leader Kim looked at me and cautiously asked, “Hee-sung, did something happen at the meeting?”

After finishing the meeting and coming down to the car, I had kept my mouth shut.

I had heard every word of their conversation coming through the meeting room door.

The content of that conversation had complicated my mind.

I couldn’t open my mouth to Team Leader Kim because I was so confused.

I just didn’t know how to explain this situation, and how to get through it.

Everything was confusing.

Seeing my expression and my tightly closed mouth, Team Leader Kim seemed to think the meeting had gone wrong.

But I couldn’t explain the situation to him yet.

Because I hadn’t sorted it out myself.

I forced a smile and shook my head. “No, I’m just a little tired.”

“Yeah, it was a meeting you worked hard to prepare for, so you must be tired. Go in and get some rest.”

“Okay, thanks.”

I turned to open the door, trying not to show him my feelings.

As soon as I got out of the car and took a few steps, Team Leader Kim opened the window and shouted, “Hee-sung!”

At his voice, I stopped walking.

“Yeah?”

“If… if anything happens, if you have anything to worry about, contact me anytime.”

At Team Leader Kim’s words, I silently raised my hand and waved.

As soon as I trudged into the house, I headed straight to the study.

Director Park Ho-chan’s script sitting alone on the desk.

I stared blankly at the script and let out a long sigh without realizing it.

“Haa, what is all this….”

Everything that had happened a little while ago felt like a dream.

The meeting where I was excited and passionate, knowing nothing.

The meeting room I went back up to with confidence.

The secret of the casting I happened to hear in front of it….

What had happened in just a few hours had trapped me in confusion.

Just looking at the script made my head throb, and I eventually squeezed my eyes shut.

“I really wanted to do this project… is it right to do it….”

In fact, even if I just closed my eyes and went into this project, it wouldn’t be bad.

The conditions given to me were actually very good, and moreover, I was drawn to the project more than anything.

I was cast because of Song Yu-na, but I didn’t think I was a bad actor.

Objectively speaking, I was a leading actor, not a supporting actor.

Of course, if Director Park thought I was a lower-level actor, when Song Yu-na offered the condition to do her next project, he wouldn’t have accepted the deal.

Director Park also thought it was a reasonable deal, so he would have said okay.

More than anything, my agency is almost a one-person agency right now.

Didn’t WG Entertainment already ruin one of my projects?

Taking on the lead role in Director Park’s project here was an undeniably good opportunity.

“Okay, anyway, they don’t even know I know this. Let’s just close my eyes and… do it.”

I opened my eyes wide and picked up the script in front of me.

My heart started beating again as I looked at the script.

That’s how much the script shook my heart.

Just imagining playing the character in this script made me feel overwhelmed.

That’s how much I analyzed the character countless times, practiced and practiced again.

“You can do it. It’s definitely a good opportunity…!”

A project that started with Song Yu-na’s story.

But the more I made up my mind, the more Song Yu-na held me back.

I know it’s a great opportunity, but… I didn’t want to.

I would rather Song Yu-na invested in the production costs.

She didn’t contribute to this project.

Using Song Yu-na as a condition for her next project and using me as the lead for this project….

The more I thought about it, the more I stopped myself from approaching the project.

“Haa… yeah, this is really not it.”

The relationship between people cannot be completely equal.

Especially in a romantic relationship where you love each other.

I thought that if one side caused trouble in such a relationship, the relationship could not be maintained peacefully.

The person who caused the trouble, so I would keep thinking about this situation.

Every time I met Song Yu-na, I would only feel sorry.

“No matter what, I can’t go into a project with Yu-na on the line.”

Tak-

I turned the script over and pushed it out of sight.

It may have been an attempt to shake off the feelings for the script.

“Let’s not be greedy for what we can’t do. This… is really not it.”

The cell phone I left in the meeting room.

I took it out and let out a deep sigh.

Even just looking at the cell phone reminded me of their conversation.

“Okay, let’s tell her before my mind changes.”

I immediately called Song Yu-na.

As the ringing tone sounded, my heart rate gradually began to rise.

Soon I heard her voice.

-Hello?

“Yu-na, can you talk?”

-Yeah, I just finished filming. Did oppa [term of endearment for an older brother or boyfriend] also finish the meeting and come home?

Her bright voice.

She asked me with a hopeful voice, and I couldn’t meet her expectations.

“Yeah, I finished and came home.”

-What did he say? Did Director Park like it a lot? Did he tell you to sign the contract right away? How’s the script?

Song Yu-na bombarded me with questions.

She seemed to have a lot of questions.

But I brought up a different story from her questions.

“Yu-na, did you make this lead role in Director Park’s project happen?”

-What are you talking about?

“It’s not that Director Park wanted me, but you made him want me… right?”

At my words, Song Yu-na closed her mouth as if she had muted the sound.

“Is it all your intention that I became the lead actor in this project?”

-…No.

Song Yu-na whispered quietly, and I squeezed my eyes shut and swallowed hard.

“You said that if I play the lead role, you would do the next project together.”

Song Yu-na, who had been denying this, stuttered as if she was speechless at my words.

-How… did you know?

“Yu-na, I don’t want this. I’ve never asked you for it.”

-Haa…. Did Director Park tell you?

“That’s not important. I’m not doing this project, no, I can’t do it.”

Song Yu-na shouted as if to stop me as soon as I finished speaking.

-Why not?

“What?”

-You can just do it. No, you can do it.

“How can I do it knowing this?”

-What can’t you do?

“If I do this project, you’re going to do the next project. I’m taking you hostage, how can I do this project?”

Song Yu-na quickly spat out words as if she was bursting with resentment at my words.

-I already decided to do the next project with Director Park anyway. I liked the script for that next project and decided to play the lead role. Since I’m going to do it anyway, I thought it would be nice if oppa did this project, so I suggested it.

“Yu-na, when have I ever asked you to do that?”

-No… you never asked me to do that, but… since I’m going to do the next project anyway, I just talked to oppa about it. I meant it in a good way.

“No, you may have said it in a good way, but from my point of view, I’m being bundled in [forced into something].”

-Bundled in…. Why are you saying that?

“You know what’s even more frustrating? Honestly, I know it’s a good opportunity, so I knew it and I was tempted… I’m ashamed and my pride is hurt by that.”

I said, pressing my chest with my fist in frustration.

Song Yu-na raised her voice at my words.

-Lovers can help each other. No, you can just say okay. Can’t you do that?

“Yeah, I can’t do it. Just cancel it.”

-Are you doing this because you’re proud?

“No, it’s not that a man is protecting his pride. I just really hate this happening as a lover to a lover. I feel like I’m causing you harm.”

A conversation went back and forth where we didn’t give in to each other.

Song Yu-na eventually lowered her raised voice at my firm thoughts.

-It’s really not harming… I told you. I’m really going to play the lead role in the next project.

“Still, I don’t think this is right. Tell them I don’t have to be in the project.”

-It’s really not like that…. Okay, I understand because you hate it so much… I know what you mean.

Tok-

With those words, the phone hung up.

It was a conversation with consideration for each other, but in the end, that consideration did not reach each other and did not form an understanding.

We exchanged conversations with raised voices.

In the end, we ended the call without lowering our voices.

But I didn’t want to call her again to try to create a friendly atmosphere.

If I talked to her like that now, Song Yu-na would definitely try to persuade me to be the lead in the project.

I looked at the disconnected phone and let out a long sigh.

“No matter what… this is right.”

The script I had pushed to the desk.

I pushed the script deep into the drawer so I wouldn’t see it again.

* * *

“This is ridiculous!”

After finishing the call with Jin Hee-sung, Song Yu-na took a rough breath.

“It’s not like I forced him in, and I just told Director Park because I’m doing the next project. Is this something to refuse so much?”

She shouted as if complaining to the bear doll on the bed about her disappointment with Jin Hee-sung.

“I’m so upset. I’m his girlfriend, he can do this much for me.”

Song Yu-na trembled her lips and reddened her eyes.

“Did I give money to Director Park? What did I do?”

Tears flowed down her cheeks.

Wiping away the tears with the pajamas covering her back, she shouted in a trembling voice.

“I know it’s hard… I can’t help him directly, so I wanted to help him like this. I really didn’t push myself, I didn’t use my position, I really just recommended him because I’m doing the next project….”

Song Yu-na poured out her frustration on the bear doll.

She buried her face in the pillow and sobbed for a long time.

“It’s so unfair…. He doesn’t know my heart at all.”

How many minutes had passed?

Song Yu-na raised her body while sobbing.

“Jin Hee-sung… I’m annoyed. I really hate him.”

She pouted her lips with a sulky face.

Song Yu-na took a deep breath and when her breathing became stable, she picked up her cell phone.

Then she called Director Park, not Jin Hee-sung.

-Hello.

“Director, this is Song Yu-na.”

-Yes, Yu-na.

“Director, you know….”

* * *

Director Park’s project flickered before my eyes, but every time the project came to mind, I thought of Song Yu-na.

Then the project disappeared completely before my eyes.

To forget that script with another script, I was spending the day among countless scripts today.

“Hee-sung.”

Team Leader Kim approached me as I was sitting in the conference room looking at the script, and as soon as I found him, I said as if urging him.

“Hyung [older brother or close male friend], I’ve seen all these scripts, don’t you have any others besides this?”

“More?”

“Yeah, nothing really appeals to me. Bring me some more as you have….”

Team Leader Kim opened his mouth before I could finish speaking.

“Hee-sung, that’s….”

“What’s wrong?”

He sat down in front of me and carefully opened his mouth, watching my reaction.

“That project by Director Park. Are you really not doing it?”

I didn’t tell Team Leader Kim that Song Yu-na was involved in Director Park’s project.

It’s because I didn’t want to say that story out of my mouth.

I just made excuses that I had lost interest in the project and that the meeting didn’t go well.

“Yeah, I told you, the meeting didn’t go well either. Don’t hold on to a bus that’s already left, you have to quickly find another bus.”

At my words, Team Leader Kim tilted his head and looked at me.

“But I just got a call from Director Park.”

“You got a call?”

At his words, I widened my eyes and asked back.

“He told me the date of the script reading for that project. Of course, the lead is you.”

My face contorted at Team Leader Kim’s words that I couldn’t understand at all.

“…What?”